Upside Down in a Laura Ingalls Town

After her terminally ill mother dies, 16-year-old Brooke Decker is happy to play the role of partying slacker given the tough, responsibility-filled year she has had. Her father isn’t, though, and signs up the family for a reality TV show to be filmed in the North Carolina backwoods. The Deckers must spend four months living as though the year is 1861, and if they break character or sneak in any contraband, they’ll be kicked out. As the family begins its adventure, not even a cute boy named Wendell can stop Brooke from plotting a way to be sent home. Brooke’s voice feels authentic as she struggles to reconnect with her fractured family, and Manning’s historical research shows as the Deckers learn to plant crops, cook over a fire, and use an outhouse (there’s more to it than one might think). Conversely, the show’s structure is never explained fully, and certain plot points associated with it become distracting as they don’t make sense until the end. Even so, Manning (Gaga) has created an entertaining novel with realistic characters readers should find it easy to invest in. Ages 14–up. (BookLife)